Compares concept mapping, simulated recall, reflective journals, and discourse analysis as methods of assessing thinking of 2 cohorts of 9 and 17 undergraduate students in their senior year of an early childhood teacher education program, respectively. Methodologies yield different, but complementary, pictures of preservice teachers' knowledge.…

Recommends using informal writing exercises to increase students' involvement in large survey history courses. Explains several activities in which undergraduates collect their thoughts on particular lecture topics. Also suggests that students keep journals to accompany reading assignments. Argues that journal writing enlivens the material and…

Focuses on the employment-related aspect of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes at the intermediate and advanced levels. Activities described include researched pair presentations, company research, working through occupational modules and an exercise to enhance self-image. Networking with colleagues and the community helps in the…

The purpose of the final report on the Montana Beginning Teacher Support Program (BTSP) is to provide a comprehensive description of all phases of the program as it was conducted from 1992 through 1995. The purpose of the BTSP was to study the effect of a formal mentorship relationship between master teachers (mentors) and teachers in their first…

Detailing the many ways that reading and writing interact with and support learning, this book is about the role of literacy in subject area learning. Three features of the book are designed to guide teachers' reflective thought and assist them in transferring ideas from the book to their teaching repertoire and classroom: "double entry…

This book is intended to teach students who study abroad how to record and study their cross-cultural observations, so that culture shock may move beyond the initial orientation program to become an integrated part of the study abroad curriculum. Its thesis is that writing is a tool for learning and self-discovery, that writing about everyday…

Teacher educators routinely encourage preservice students to be reflective while learning to teach through dialogue journal writing and supervisory discussions. Likewise, they encourage teachers in the field to engage in action research and analyze and reflect upon their teaching through critical self-study. This paper describes a study that took…

It is argued that increased use of learner-generated questions and comments can benefit every stage of the instructional process. A strategy is proposed that integrates design into the implementation of instruction. The emerging interest in learner-generated questions has followed the paradigmatic shift in psychology from behaviorism to…

This program guide is intended for use by mentors of women who have completed the preemployment training component of the B-WEST (Building Workers Entering Skilled Trades) project and who are now entering a trade or technical occupation. The first section contains a definition of mentoring and mentor, protegee, and trainer profiles. Sections 2-6…

Strategies to address the reading and writing needs of reluctant and hesitant students with limited English proficiency (LEP) are provided in this guide for teachers. It is drawn from experiences with six elementary school teachers and an elementary school principal in San Antonio in the Southwest Independent School District/University of Texas…

Over a 6-year period, a secondary level English teachers and a college composition instructor have exchanged their students' journals. After initial introductory exchanges between the groups, the instructors match pairs of students, who then correspond. The teachers attempt to match students of similar interests, and they have found gender mixing…

This study was conducted at Mississippi State University (MSU) Meridian, to evaluate the student teaching experience and to determine adjustments required to improve the teacher education program. Participants consisted of 81 elementary, secondary, and special education students from two MSU campuses. Instruments utilized in the study included a…

These materials address the use of dialogue journal writing in teaching speakers of English as a Second Language. Included is a handbook for teachers that provides background information and specific suggestions for classroom use, and an instructional packet for teachers and workshop leaders. The handbook contains chapters on: what constitutes a…

This paper describes the creation of a journal entitled "Issues in Education" by eight elementary education and reading students in a graduate seminar course. The journal, published each semester by the Elementary Education Department, Towson State University (Maryland), presents articles illustrative of current teacher concerns. Topics relate to…

This paper describes the application of local area network (LAN) technology, especially electronic mail (E-mail), to develop the written communication skills of 10 deaf students in two pre-high school science classes at a school for the deaf. Students used E-mail for such activities as answering questions, keeping a log, communicating with an…